Language Learning

Dear Aunt Alice,

Well, I didn’t think that I’d get to learn Kikaonde while I’m here, but I will get to learn a little (mostly greetings, etc.). I still have it much easier than you did because all of the Zambians that I’ve met so far speak English!! =)

Greetings are a HUGE thing in the Zambian culture. You have to be careful to properly greet a Zambian, especially if you know him/her. If you walk down the road, it is not at all unusual for to stop several times along the way to greet someone you know and talk with them for a few minutes before you continue on our way. Zambians are extremely relational, so it’s more important to take the time to greet them than it is to be on time (especially since nothing here happens on time anyway!).